Paradigm 14: "Leading with a wide-angle lens" (30/8/19)

In this chapter, Edmund Chan speaks of the need for wisdom in leadership, defined as, "balancing the tensions of life in the fear of the Lord". The ability to balance well comes from proper perspectives: 1) personal conviction, 2) team leadership 3) a vision of God's overall purpose, will and timing.

I asked us what it means to 'fear the Lord'. We are to fear God - to have 'holy reverence' for Him because he is Creator (Je 5:21-24) and Judge (Lk 12:5, 2 Cor 5:11). We are to live our lives as 'god-fearing' people - those who are aware that they are accountable to God and fear to displease or grieve Him, rather than to displease or grieve man.

I think this chapter is full of opportunities for fruitful thinking about Christian leadership.

In the 'big canvas' of God's overall purpose, the ultimate purpose of mankind is to glorify God

(Is 43:7 “...everyone who is called by my name,    whom I created for my glory,    whom I formed and made.”, Is 48:9-11: “For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath;    for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,    so as not to destroy you completely. ¹⁰ See, I have refined you, though not as silver;    I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. ¹¹ For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.    How can I let myself be defamed?    I will not yield my glory to another.” Jer 13:11 “I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor.” Eph 1:11-12: “In him we were also chose having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory”.)

In this largest of canvasses, then, leadership can be conceived of as the way God uses individuals to influence and motivate other individuals to accomplish the display of His glory. And this is done when we do things His way, in His time, for His purposes (like how Chan defines 'efficacy'). So a leader should always ask if a given course of action follows this goal.

We took a long detour hear to talk about the 'glory of God'. This can be defined ast he visible manifestation of His being (Ex 19-24, Ez 1, Rev 1:14-16). It is the outward radiance of the holiness, beauty and worth of God (Is 6:3) - the visible greatness of His manifold perfections. God is glorious in grace (Eph 1:6) and power (2 Th 1:9).Our salvation is for God’s glory (Eph 1:12). It is the goal of our existence. All we do is to God’s glory (1 Co 10:31). All mankind was created for God’s glory (Is 43:6-7). The mission of the church can be expressed as the declaration of God’s glory to the world (Ps 96:1-3, Ez 39:21, Is 66:18-19). Our hope is to see the glory of God (Ro 5:2, Jude 24, Ro 9:23, I Th 2:12, Tit 2:13, Jn 17:24) and to share the glory of God (1 Pe 5:1, Ro 8:21, 1 Co 2:7). When we 'glorify' God we do not give Him what He lacks, but we acknowledge and enjoy His glory. We testify to His glory to a watching world by our words and actions. 
 

But isn’t God selfish , proud and insecure to demand glory from man?

1.       We don’t like boasters or insecure people who need affirmation from others.
The Bible tells us not to boast or to be insecure.

2.       Unlike humans, God has no deficiencies and fully deserves glory. It is His right to be glorified (Rev 4:11, Rom 11:36)

3.       If we were created for His glory, then in glorifying Him we find our highest purpose, fulfillment and joy. So the glory of God is not against, but inseparable from the happiness of man

Individual leaders have to grow in godliness so as to discern rightly how to glorify God. This has to do with transformation into the image of Christ by the indwelling Spirit (¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.  2 Cor 3:18-19). God's intention is that the people He has chosen from eternity past be conformed to the image of His Son (²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Rom 8:29). This is part of how He receives the glory He is due. So in this general way, Christian leaders must focus on spiritual likeness to Christ above all - above gaining competencies and connections. This is not to belittle the importance of skill sets and people management, but to emphasize the primacy of the character of a leader as that which must glorify God.

There are many practical questions that can be addressed:

1. Is Christian leadership like a democracy? Or an oligarchy? We said it should be a theocracy, in that God's leading through the Scriptures and other ways He makes known His will take primary place. In practice, one leader (hopefully the most gifted for leadership and the most Christlike) obtains consensus from a united leadership team. Day-to-day decisions are rarely determined by majority vote. I see this kind of pattern when James chaired the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:1-21 I see group leadership also in how Paul set up 'elders' - plural in the churches he founded (Ac 14:23, Ti 1:5) and how a group is always mentioned in the NT (Js 5:14, 1 Pe 5:1, 1 Ti 4:14). Different denominations have different leadership models.

Trouble arises when there is no leader able to unite a team or a group to move in one direction, or a disunited leadership with different visions. What do we do then? I think the right thing to do is to submit to the position, rather than to the person filling it. There will generally be ways to work within the system for change. Only in the most extenuating circumstances would we consider leaving a church or a group because of leadership issues.

2.